COMMUNAL NOISE AND THE EFFECT OF CITY GREENERY ON THE LEVELS OF COMMUNAL NOISE IN SARAJEVO

UDK 613.164:711.4]:630*27(497.6 Sarajevo) Noise represents any unwanted, too loud, unpleasant or unexpected sound which negatively affects physical and/or mental health of people. Noise impedes human activities, causes indisposition, irritability, unrest, mental health and behaviour issues, fatigue and sleep deprivation, and even aggressive behaviour with noise volumes above 80 dB. In urban areas, i.e. all the places man lives and works in, the noise people are exposed to daily is called environmental, communal or general noise. Communal noise is a major problem of the closer human environment, especially in urban areas. One reliable means of protection against communal noise is an array of different green plantations. They absorb sound waves and thus lower the level of noise. The larger the density and depth of the plantations, the higher the level of noise protection, and the effectiveness also depends on the character of the plantations (composition, layout of different plants, construction, density, the presence of undergrowth and the shrub layer, height, etc.). In relation to the abovementioned, measuring communal noise in two distinctive locations in Sarajevo was conducted within this paper. The main objective of these measurings is to ascertain, in relation to allowable values (Law on noise protection in Sarajevo Canton), whether and to which degree communal noise exceeds the legally prescribed levels. Apart from that, the framework of this paper strives to ascertain the level to which city greenery affects lowering noise levels. The results show that the measured noise levels in both localities exceed the allowable values regulated by law to a great extent. It is also ascertained that city greenery lowers the noise level by approximately 8%,thus the paper presents recommendations on the method of erecting city greenery for purposes of noise protection.